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Google Scholar: Google Scholar: An Overview

What is Google Scholar?

Google Scholar is a collection of citations from scholarly literature from a wide variety of specialties. You can find articles, theses/dissertations, books, abstracts and court opinions from a broad array of disciplines. Most, but not all is peer-reviewed. Its content coverage ranges from technology and science to arts, humanities, social, and behavioral sciences. It is updated every few days, although newly published articles can take several months to be indexed in Google Scholar. 

Not all of the content in the index is available as free full text, often you will be asked to pay for access. It is recommended to link Google Scholar to Rush's Library. For instructions, check out: Linking to Rush Library

Why Use Google Scholar?

  • It's free
    • Although not all articles indexed in Google Scholar can be accessed without a journal subscription, Google Scholar does offer access to a lot of open access articles. You can also link Google Scholar to Rush's library. This will make is super easy to obtain that full-text if it behind a paywall. For more information on how to set this up, check out Linking to Rush Library
  • It's can search the full text of an article
    • Unlike majority of databases like PubMed or CINAHL, Google Scholar is capable of searching the full text for keywords. This can be beneficial for when your keywords might not be found in the abstract and title
  • It offers broad coverage
    • Google Scholar searches several sources that might not be found in other databases. Some examples include thesis/dissertations, professional societies, online repositories, and more. However, you always want to be careful. Although, majority of the articles in Google Scholar are peer-reviewed, not all are.
  • It's convenient and easy to use
    • It is more flexible with keywords which allows for a successful basic search. Especially when compared to other "traditional" databases like PubMed or CINAHL. 

Accessing Google Scholar

Google Scholar can be accessed through a simple internet search. However it is recommended to access it through the libray's homepage. 

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Creating an Account

You do not need a Google account to use Google Scholar. However there are some benefits to using your Google account. Once you have created an account, you are able to:

  •  Save articles to your library
  • Create and manage your Google Profile
  • Save search history
  • Link Google Scholar to your library

If you have a Google account, you can log in using the "Sign in" feature in the top right corner. If not, you can also create an account here. 

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